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Saturday, September 8, 2007

Lucrezia Borgia - John Faunce

I'm always very interested in books about the Borgias and I couldn't resist to pick this one up. The book is written in the first person by Lucrezia telling about the adventures her family gets involved in and the circumstances of her life.

She comes across more like a pawn in her father and brother's hands than like the bad person some historians have led us to believe. A lot of the book is dedicated to her three marriages which were negotiated to make political alliances and give more power to the Borgia family. None of what is told is really new and although I wasn't expecting new I think I needed a bit more depth. Maybe more contextualization and less of Lucrezia's marriages.

Besides that, I had a big problem with this book, the tone is very modern. It didn't feel like we were in the Renaissance at all. While it may be of interest to readers new to the Borgia's story or interested in that particular theme I think it will be a bit of a disappointed if you're looking for a nice story with a true feel of the period.

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